A Mile Below
by prettylildisaster98
Summary: A story from the movie the Cave and Ghost Ship. It has an OC and is considered very AU, it's doesn't fallow the story line completely. This is my first fic so please be gentle. I do not own. Rated T to be safe but rating is subject to change. Tyler/Charlie; Jack/OC (Cassandra). I really suck at summaries. Full summary inside. R
1. The Crew of the Midnight Sun

A Mile Below

Summary: Cassandra "Rae" McRae is a professional cave diver and rock climber. She used to work with the best in the world before a fight made her leave. Now she works with a salvage crew out of Anchorage, Alaska. But when her old crew catches up with her it turns her world upside down when they ask for her help with a new expedition in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania.

Chapter 1: The Crew of The Midnight Sun

Rae ran up to the top deck and looked at the boat they were pulling along behind them. It was listing on the starboard side. "Oh man, you've got to be kidding me."

She grabbed the radio from the belt of her harness. "Murphy, she's listing on her starboard side."

"_Greer is on the way you're going over," he replied._

She hopped up on the platform as a tall, muscular black man came up from below and hopped up there with her with a carabiner in his hand.

He hook her up to the zip line above them as another member of their crew joined them.

"She's listing bad man," he stated as he helped Greer secure her to the line.

Rae looked at him. "Stand by Dodge I may need your help with it. Depending on how bad it is."

"_You haven't left yet?" Murphy's irritated voice came over their radios. _

Rae rolled her eyes and grabbed Dodge's radio from his belt. "Keep your pants on Murphy, I'm going."

She released the radio and looked at Greer. "Are we all set Greer?"

"Just about, Cassie," he grunted as he tightened the rope she is currently attached to.

"There," he exclaimed. "You're good to go, Cassie."

He and Dodge grabbed Rae's ankles and started running to push her down the zip line.

"_Rae, get your ass off my tug boat," Murphy growled._

With one good push she was on her way down the line towards the boat they were hauling. She pulled herself along once her momentum began to slow.

She made it safely to the other boat and unhooked herself. "Off the rope, safe," she told Greer over the radio.

"_Copy that Rae," he replied. "Coming over."_

Rae ran over to the cargo hold with rope slung over her shoulder. She made quick work of securing the rope and repelling down.

The cargo hold was full of at least six feet of water. "Oh shit," she said. "This isn't good."

"_Rae, Dodge and I are over where are you?" Greer asked._

"Down the main cargo hold," she replied. "There's a big tear in the starboard stern."

"_Leave it, we don't have the time to fix it. Get back over here," Murphy said._

Rae shook her head and pulled out a flare from her belt.

"Come Cass, you heard the man," Dodge called down.

"No way," she yelled back dropping the flare into the water below. "It took us four months to get her off the bottom and I'm not about to lose her now."

She quickly unhooked herself from the harness and dropped into the water.

"Christ," Dodge exclaimed, throwing his gloves to the ground.

Greer looked at him. "Come on Dodge, you're the only underwater welder we got. Let's go save Cassie from herself."

They both jumped into the water beside Rae and dove under the water.

Dodge had his underwater welding gear with him and started to fix the tear in the metal.

They reemerged for air and Rae wiped the water from her eyes. She looked at Dodge who was to her right. "Good is good?"

He nodded, wiping the water off his face. "Good is good."

Greer emerged to her left and let out an exasperated laugh. "Murphy is going to be so pissed."

Dodge laughed. "What else is new."

"_Rae, do I have to come down there and kick your ass? Because I'll do it," Murphy's voice came over the radio that Rae left clipped to her harness. _

The two men looked at the red-head, who had a cat got the cream look and she laughed.

Greer frowned at her. "Great, now you've gotten me in trouble, again!" He splashed her and she shirked.

Then Dodge followed suit. "Yeah, thanks a lot."

"How old are you guys?" she asked, laughing and wiping the water from her eyes.

"Come on guys, let's get back before the big guy blows a gasket," Greer said.


	2. The Spelunkers

A Mile Below

Chapter 2: The Spelunkers

The Midnight Sun made port in Anchorage, Alaska, their package had been delivered and now her crew was getting ready to disembark for their two weeks leave.

But first her crew had a few things to take care of.

Murphy dumped over a burlap sack and five bundles of hundreds onto the table in front of them. "Here's to the best damn salvage in Alaska."

"Here, here," Greer and Dodge cheered raising their glasses.

Rae looked at Murphy before snatching up her cut. "So when are we leaving out again?"

He sighed. "Next month Rae. One would think that you'd be tired of being out on the open ocean with a bunch of men." He smiled at her.

"What can I say? I just adore you guys so very much," she replied with a grin.

The entire table erupted in laughter.

Once it died down Murphy gave them a lists of things that needed to be done before they left to boat.

The crew divided the list in half.

Dodge and Bruno, Rae's cousin and Murphy's son, took the storage room to do inventory while Rae and Greer took the diving gear and welding equipment to get it where it belonged after checking for any damages.

Greer and Rae stepped out into the sun shine.

She winced again the glare and shook her head as she started checking the diving and welding equipment for any signs of damage while Greer wrote down what was wrong on his clip board.

"So have you talked to Top or Tyler lately?" he asked after a few minutes.

"No, I haven't why?" she asked as she picked up a rebreather to check it.

The dark skinned man shrugged. "It's nothing. I just remember there was a time when you couldn't go twenty-four hours without talking to them."

"So what are you doing on your vacation Greer?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. She didn't want to explain to her best friend why she was no longer talking to her old teammates and friends.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I figured if you weren't into anything major that maybe you'd like to go treasure diving in the Caribbean? Maybe a little rock climbing in the Yucatan?"

Rae chuckled as she picked up another oxygen scanner. "What the hell, I've got nothing better to do this summer."

She looked down at the underwater sonar scanner in her hand and saw that it was busted. "Oh shit, this one's pretty banged up." She sighed. "It's probably Bruno's. I think we got a spare in the storage room."

Greer nodded and twisted around to look at her as she walked away. "Hey poke your head in and check on Dodge and Bruno to make sure they're not trying to kill each other would ya?"

"You make it sound like it would be a bad thing," she called back with a smirk.

As she was walking away she could hear Greer's baritone laugh as she walked down the gain way.

Greer shook his head and went on checking the other diving equipment and writing his findings down on his clip board. He smirked because he knew that Rae would come back and check his work anyway but still he wanted to look for himself. Rae was very anal about their equipment and rightful so. One out of every fourteen divers die every year because of their faulty equipment or stupid mistakes.

Footsteps on the dock by the Midnight Sun made him tense up. "Excuse me."

Greer looked over and found a small group, consisting of five men and a petite blonde that was about Rae's size, standing there looking at him like he was some kind of side show freak. They were all dressed in a similar fashion cargo pants, thermal shirts and fleece vests. They looked like either fishermen or salvagers.

People only showed up at their boat when it was docked when they were looking a work.

"Sorry fellas, we're not a fishing boat," Greer said, studying them carefully, trying to hide the irritation in his voice at the sudden intrusion. "And we're not hiring either."

"That's good," the man that had spoken initially said, putting his hands on his hips. Greer looked at him again he had short brown hair, saltwater blue eyes and when he spoke he had a slight southern accent. He seemed oddly familiar but Greer couldn't place the face. "We're not looking for work."

Greer folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "Then what can I do for you guys?"

"We're lookin' for Cassandra McRae. Is she around?"

The dark skinned man's eyes narrowed from behind his glasses. "Y'all taking about Cassie McRae?" Then it clicked in his head where he had seen blue eye's face before. It was a photograph that Rae had in hanging on the bulk head in her cabin. The one of her spelunking team.

This was the spelunking team that she was with before she came to work with them. The team that more or less kicked her out in the cold. Oh, man this isn't going to be good. Rae wanted nothing more to do with them.

He wasn't sure if Cass wanted to see them but he couldn't make that decision for her. He knew better than to do that she would skin him alive.

"Yeah, she's below deck," Greer jerked his thumb towards the door in the back.

A tall dark skinned man that was standing behind his boss stepped forward. "Permission to come aboard?"

Greer nodded, this man knew his way around a boat. "Permission granted."

The crack team walked up the cat walk and onto the boat. Once they were on board Greer put his finger to his ear. "Hey Cass, you got a copy?" She didn't answer; as a matter of fact no one answered his radio call. "Cass."

"_How long does it take to find a fuckin' spare sonar scanner?" he thought shaking his head._

"I'm Jack McAlister," the man with blue eyes said, holding his hand out and Greer took it. "Bruce Greer. My friends call me Greer."

Jack nodded and introduced him to the rest of his team. Charlie, the only woman on the team that looked to be a few years younger than Cass, and her replacement he was sure. Top, their survivor specialist nothing but good things to say about her long term friend. Tyler, Jack's younger brother and a scientist of some sort. And that left Briggs, Cass had spoke volumes about him and none of it was good.

Greer shook his head and put his fingers back to his wireless head set. "Does anyone have eyes on Cass?"

"_I'm coming back up Greer, jeez," Rae said, she sounded slightly agitated. "Keep your fuckin' pants on chief." _

What did Dodge and Bruno do now? This may not be the best time for her old team to make an unscheduled visit. But why ruin his own fun? Watching Rae go toe to toe with Jack could be very amusing. As long as she didn't kill him; that could make a huge mess on deck. That he would have to clean without a doubt because Cass would be in jail, again, for assault or assault in battery.

"_You wouldn't believe what these two idiots down here are doing," Rae continued on. _

"Oh, I can only imagine," Greer said, looking at the group standing around him, watching him intently. "Hey Cass, you got some visitors up here."

"_What kind of visitors Greer?" she asked suspiciously. _

"The old friend type, Cass," he replied.

"_Do not tell me it's Jack McAllister. Please Greer tell me it's not that son of a bitch," Cass begged. _

"I'm sorry, Cass."

Cass swore loudly and Greer winced.

"_Tell 'em to sit tight. I'll be right up." _

"Copy that," Greer said and looked around at them. "She'll be up in a few minutes."

Jack was staring out over the ocean, his dark skinned friend, Top, was watching him carefully before turning to Greer. "I know that she'll be shocked to see us," he said some what awkwardly.

"Shocked is the understatement of the year," Greer muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rae suddenly appeared from the door behind Greer. Greer turned around to look at her. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey Cassie. You're friends are here."

Jack looked over at her and their eyes locked.

Greer watched them, it was like they were speaking with each other with their eyes. A silent communication the certain people develop after years of knowing and being around each other. He and Cass was just starting to develop that same form of silent communication and the ability to read each other's body language.

"So I see," she said, her eyes not wavering from Jack's. "So Jack, what do I owe this pleasure?" Rae was closing herself off emotionally it was her only line of defense against such an attack.


	3. Jack's Offer

A Mile Below

Chapter 3: Jack's Offer

"I need to talk to you, Rae," he said, as she approached them.

"About what?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Is there somewhere where we can talk, alone?" Jack asked, looking over the top of Rae's head at Greer. She looked too and shook her head. "We've got work to finish here. Whatever you can say to me, you can say in front of him. Greer?" she nodded for him to follow her back over to the tanks.

Greer followed her and spared Jack a quick glance. Jack looked pissed but he followed them anyway with Top not too far behind. While the rest of the team waited some what awkwardly behind, looking around the ship's deck.

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Jack?" Rae asked, her back was still turned to him as she checked the welding equipment for damage.

"It's about Romania, Rae," Top said when Jack didn't reply.

"What about Romania?" she asked, not turning around. "Greer, this unit's hose is damaged and needs to be replaced."

"Copy that, Cass," he replied, writing it down on his check list.

"We got that job you recommended us for in the Carpathian Mountains," Top explained.

"Congratulations," she replied dryly sparing Top a quick glance. "If you came all the way up to Anchorage just to gloat, then let me tell you right now the phone would've been much easier on everyone," she added, eyeing the other's carefully.

Greer chuckled and Jack rolled his eyes. "We didn't come up here to gloat, Rae."

"Then what did you come up here to do Jack? I thought you were allergic to salvage crews," Rae snarled.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and took several calming breaths. He could remember a time when he used to find Rae's sarcasm and take charge attitude very sexy but not now. "Rae, can we drop the ice queen routine please just for a few minutes?"

That comment earned him a chuckle from Greer. "Ice queen routine? That's a new one, I've never heard anyone refer to you by that Cassie."

Rae glared at him and went back to replacing the hose on the welding tank. Then she turned to Jack. "Alright, I'm sorry, Jack what is so important that you couldn't just call me on the phone?" She jerked her thumb back towards Top and Tyler. "Your brother and Top have my number."

"Dr. Nicolai is expecting to see you."

Rae chocked back a laugh of surprise and looked over at him for the first time. "Oh is he now? Did you tell him that I'm no longer with you and that I'm not going to be able to make it?"

Jack frowned and her; while Top bit his lip and looked away from her.

Rae stood up straight, retrieving a blue shop rag from the back pocket of her jeans and started wiping her hands studying them carefully her eyes were narrowed. "That is what you told him right?"

"Not exactly," Top said carefully. "We told him that you were on a vacation of sorts."

Greer's head shot up from the clip board he was holding. He looked at Rae then at the rest of them before he slowly started to back away. He knew that Rae was about to blow her stack and he did not want to be caught in the cross fire.

"Greer," Rae barked. "Get back over here. We're not done."

He reluctantly walked back over and Rae turned back to the welding equipment. "No," she said bluntly.

"No," Briggs walked over to them. "What do you mean no?"

Rae sighed heavily. "As many times as you've heard that word from women Briggs are you telling me that you still don't understand the meaning of it? It means no, as in I'm not doing it."

"Come on Rae, you're the best rock climber in the world" Briggs said. "And they only want the best."

"Too bad, I said no," she said fiercely. "I'm sorry you guys wasted your time by coming up here."

"Cassie," Greer said carefully. "I know this is none of my business but I think you should go with them. Just for one last job, what harm could it do?"

The red head winced, Greer knew exactly why she left the team and she was surprised that he would even suggest it.

"Sure Greer," she said sarcastically. "If you think it's such a splendid idea why don't you come along too? Ya know for old times sake?"

Jack's mouth fell open. _"Was she being serious?"_

"If it'll make you go, sure, I'll come along," Greer replied with a shrug.

Now Rae's mouth fell open in shock. "Greer, I don't kno-"

"No, absolutely not," Jack said. "He's a liability."

Rae's head shot up in his direction her face registered in obvious shock. "Greer is a liability? Oh that's rich Jack. That's a little too rich for my blood." She turned back to her work. "If Greer is a liability then what the fuck is Briggs?"

Jack and Briggs both glared at her but remained silent.

"At least I can trust Greer not to leave me hangin'," Rae muttered under her breath as she recalibrated the welding tank she was currently working on.

Jack snorted and shook his head. "This is a waste of time. Come on guys lets get outta here and leave 'Cassie' to her work."

Top and Tyler hesitated while Briggs, Strode and the only female Charlie, followed Jack off the boat.

"I'm sorry, Mackie," Top said and the last two left without another word.

Rae threw her shop rag down and stormed off back below deck.

Greer sighed and scratched his brow with his thumb. Maybe he should have said that she wasn't around.

TBC…


	4. Greer's Compromise

Chapter 4: Greer's Compromise

Greer was standing on the deck watching the sun set and smoking a cigar.

He and Cassie were the only ones left on board. Murphy, Bruno, Dodge and Santos had decided to spend the night on dry land. Which was understandable because they had just spent six months out at sea. He and Cassie had plans to leave for the airport the next day to head out to the Caribbean for their treasure diving trip.

Cassie hadn't said a word since the less than civil conversation with Jack and the others.

They had really rattled the pretty young woman and that was a hard thing to do but that man Briggs, Cassie really didn't trust him or like him at all. Greer couldn't say that he blamed her after what happened the year before.

"Permission to come aboard?"

Greer looked down at the dock and saw Top standing there with his hands on his hips. "Permission granted."

Top came up the cat walk and came to stand beside the taller dark skinned man.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier, Jack can be a bit of an asshole sometimes," Top said after a few minutes.

Greer nodded and took another drag from his cigarette. "I know. It's all good."

"Is Mackie around or did she take off after our visit? I told Jack that bringing everyone along was a bad idea especially given the bad blood between Rae and Briggs."

"No, she's below deck in her cabin. She hasn't said much since y'all left," Greer said, tossing his finished cigar into the ocean. "Do you want to talk to her?"

Top nodded. "That would be nice."

Greer nodded and pulled out his radio. "Hey Cass, you got a copy?"

"_What do ya need Greer?"_

"Top is up here, he's alone, and he wants to talk to you."

"_I'll be right up." _

A few minutes later Rae appeared out on the deck.

Top turned when he heard her light footsteps, he was surprised about what she was wearing. A green fleece long sleeve shirt on top of a pair of ratty old blue jean cut offs and her rock climbing shoes. Her long red hair that was usually held back by a bandana was actually hanging down in soft ringlets down her back.

She smiled at him as he pulled her into a big hug. "Hey Mackie, how you been?"

"I've been doin' pretty good, Top."

He squeezed her extra tight he'd been missing her a lot. Charlie was great at what she did and she was a good fit with the team but she was no Rae.

The problem with Charlie was that she tried too hard to be Rae. She wasn't Rae and there was no way in hell she ever could be Rae. They were two completely different people. Rae was street wise, tough, strong willed and as sharp as a tack all qualities that came with a girl that grew up on the harsh streets of Boston.

Charlie are the other hand came from the suburbs of South Florida, her father owned a diving business. She was good at what she did but sometimes she tried too hard.

Rae walked over towards the side rail of the boat and lit a cigarette. "So tell me Top how's that new rock climber working out?"

"She's good at what she does but, she's no you," Top explained carefully.

The red head laughed as she puffed on her cigarette. "Well what can I say, Top, I'm one of a kind."

Greer leaned up against the railing and lit another one himself. "That's for sure."

Rae heaved herself up onto the railing and studied her old team mate. "So, why did you come back here Top? I thought Jack had this strict, 'don't talk to 'Rae' rule."

Top sighed softly. "Rae, I know that you are still pissed about what happened in the Yucatan last year. But, we really need you on this one."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Top, we've been over this. What's the matter with Charlie? You said that she's more than decent at what she does. Why do you need to drag me back into Jack's self made mellow drama?"

"Rae, you're the best and Dr. Nicolai is paying for the best and if you don't show up we may lose this job and our business will go down the tubes," Top said, studying her carefully. "And I know that you know that."

Rae looked over at Greer, who shrugged helplessly and puffed on his cigarette. She looked back over at Top. "I don't know what you expect me to do, Top? I gotta make a living here. This job could run on for months and I don't have that kind of time to work on job anymore."

"How much time do you have to spare?" Top asked.

"Two weeks," Greer piped up before Rae could answer. He looked at her quickly before continuing. "We got a two weeks vacation then we gotta be back."

"This job will take no more than twelve days," Top said.

Rae sighed heavily. "Time isn't the only problem Top and you know it."

Top nodded. "Briggs, there's nothing I can do about that."

"Yeah I know, you can't fix stupid," Rae said with a smirk as she tossed her cigarette into the water.

"What will it take, other than getting Jack to fire Briggs, for me to get you to agree to this one last job?" Top said, rubbing his brow with his thumb and fore finger.

Rae looked at Greer then back at him with the biggest grin on her face. "I get an equal portion of the cut."

Top nodded.

"I will only use my gear and no one is to touch it other than me."

"Got it."

"Oh and Greer comes with me to be my dive buddy and my climbing buddy."

"You got-wait a minute!"

Rae held up her hand. "Those are my conditions, Jack can except it or shove it up his ass."

Top groaned and rubbed his brow again. "Rae, please don't do this to me." He really didn't want to lock horns with Jack again but he knew that without Rae's commitment to be there they would lose this job and Jack knew it too. Jack had sent him here to change Rae's mind.

"Top, Jack will listen to you, he always does," Rae said with a shrug. "Let me know what he says."

TBC…


	5. The Carpathians

Chapter 5: The Carpathians

Rae had elected to meet the rest of the team in Romania with Greer to avoid having to sit in a chopper with Briggs for six hours.

She was staring out the window she was sitting beside. Greer looked over at her and shook his head.

"You're doing the right thing here Cass."

She snorted. "I certainly hope so, Greer."

He looked at her and shook his head. She was still kind of against this whole thing and if Top hadn't come to talk to her she wouldn't have come.

"We're approaching the dig site, Ms. McRae," the pilot called over his shoulder.

"Fantastic," she mumbled. "Imagine my delight."

Greer looked at her and smirked. "Life of the party."

"It's true," she replied as the bird descended down towards the ground.

When the helicopter landed, Greer opened the side door, grabbed his gear and hopped out. "Wow," he stated as he gazed at the camp site.

Then he turned around to help Rae out. She tossed her bag effortlessly over her shoulder and hopped out.

"Careful Rae or you'll hurt your back," he said.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah." Then she looked around the camp site. "Christ, it's a fucking three ring circus up in here."

Greer chuckled lowly at her choice of words as he shut the door of the chopper.

They walked up the hump and were immediately greeted by Top, Dr. Nicolai and Jack.

Rae smiled warmly. "Dr. Nicolai it's so great to see you again."

The older gentleman hugged her tightly. "I'm so thrilled that you could make it after all. How's your uncle doing?"

"Murphy? Oh he's great, he's on vacation. Treasure diving in the Caribbean. You know him."

Murphy was how she met Dr. Nicolai a few years ago. When Dr. Nicolai found out that she was a professional cave diver he had told her about this cave that he was trying to find she in turn told him about the rest of her team and introduced him to Jack. One thing led to another and here they were.

She turned to Greer and put a hand on his forearm. "And this strapping young man is my diving partner Bruce Greer."

Greer flashed the doctor of charming smile as he shook his hand. "It's a pleasure."

"How do you know Cassie?" Dr. Nicolai asked.

"I met her through her uncle a few years back."

"Let me show you around," Dr. Nicolai said.

Rae nodded. "Yes please." She turned to Greer. "Hey Greer can you-"

"Check to make sure all the equipment made it alright? I'm all over it, Cassie," he finished with a smile.

"Thanks, smart ass."

Rae walked away with the doctor and Jack turned to give Greer a venomous look. "Just to be sure to make it clear to Rae that I'm in charge of this expedition and she's to follow my lead and not run off on her own."

Greer stared back un-phased by Jack's look and chuckled lightly. "We are talking about Cassandra McRae right? Have you ever tried putting her on a leash?"

Jack shook his head. "Just tell her to keep herself in line."

He walked away and Top stayed behind.

Greer shook his head. "Cassie would be more apt to listen to you than me. You've known her longer but I gotta warn you, she doesn't listen to Murphy and he's her uncle and her boss."

Top put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Rae is one of those types of people that you have to know her to understand her."

"Yeah, I knew that the moment I met her."


	6. Titan Hall

Chapter 6: Titan Hall

Rae and Greer made there way down to the entrance of Titan Hall with their gear on their backs. Dr. Nicolai, Briggs, Tyler and the crack team's new rock climber, a tiny blonde with deep brown eyes, Charlie, were standing there looking down.

Greer looked over at them. Tyler gave him a smile. "Hey what's up Greer."

"Good morning."

Tyler looked at Rea, who was busy getting her gear ready. "How you doing Rae?"

She looked over at Tyler while she got her red bandana tied around her head to keep her hair out of her face. "Doin' pretty good how 'bout yourself?"

Tyler laughed. "I'm pretty good."

Greer turned to Rae. "You ready to get hook up Cass?"

"Yeah, just about, someone's been messin' with my rig. It's all sorts of fucked up," she grunted, adjusting the straps on her harness.

"Jack told us to wait before we went down," the blonde piped up.

Rae's emerald green eyes zeroed in on the blonde, surprised that she spoke up after being silent all this time.

Then she smirked, shaking her head. "Jack should know me well enough by now to know not tell me to wait to follow his lead. That didn't work out so well for me the last time." Her green eyes darted to Briggs who squirmed involuntarily.

She gave on last tug on her leg straps before glancing over at Greer. "Hook me up Greer."

The tall black man nodded and started to get her hooked up before getting his own rig on.

Then Rae looked over at Tyler and the new rock climber. She wasn't glaring but she was inquisitive. Which Tyler picked on instantly. "Oh you two haven't been properly introduced, Rae this is Charlie. Charlie, Rae."

Rae nodded. "It's a pleasure. I'm sure."

"Are you sure that you should be doin' this Rae? You know with your old back injury and all," Briggs piped up.

Rae turned and glared at him. "My back is perfectly fine Briggs. No thanks to you, I might add."

That shut Briggs up real quick and he stepped back away from the group a little bit.

"The ladder is really quite safe," Dr. Nicolai said hurriedly, pointing at a less than stable looking rope ladder hanging over the edge of the mouth.

Rae looked at him and shook her head with a smirk on her pink lips. "I don't use ladders, they take too long." She pulled on the rope to make sure that it was secure before spinning around to put her back to the hole. "I don't know about the rest of you but I prefer the express way myself."

Then she disappeared down the hole.

Greer watched her go, shaking his head and smiling. "She is such a show off. See you guys at the bottom." Then he too disappeared.

Briggs shook his head. "Jack's going to be pissed, he told us to wait."

Tyler shook his head. "But you know Rae anything Jack says now a days goes in one ear and out the other."

"She is such a drama queen," Briggs muttered. "I made one mistake. One time and she acts like it's one of the seven deadly sins."

Tyler shook his head. "After what you did, I'd still be pissed too."

"Does this have something to do with what happened in Yucatan?" Charlie asked them. The young blonde had no idea why Rae left the team but she knew that it had something to do with Briggs and Jack but she was getting conflicting statements from everyone on the team. And Jack refused to talk about it at all. As a matter of fact, Jack would tense up every time someone would even say Rae's name out loud and he could hear it.

Both Tyler and Briggs looked at each other but neither one of them answered.

Tyler didn't want to be the one to tell her that Briggs fucked up royally and almost fucked Rae up royally. And Briggs would never admit that he made a mistake to anyone, especially Charlie.

Rae and Greer had made it to Titan Hall. "Sweet man," she stated. "Fuckin' amazing," her partner agreed.

They both decided to break apart, Greer went to see about their diving equipment while Rae checked the rest of her gear for tampering.

She was sitting on a rock readjusting her rig for the second time that day, it still wasn't fitting her right, when Jack approached her but she didn't look up to greet him.

"You really don't respect what I say do you?" he asked.

"And a good morning to you too, Mr. McAllister," she replied dryly, still not looking up.

"I told everyone to wait before going down until I got there," Jack snapped. "And everyone meant you and your flunky too."

"My 'flunky'? Oh there's a lovely nickname, McAllister," Rae looked up at him and frowned.

"I told you to wait and I meant it, Rae."

"What do you want from me? I'm a professional rock climber Jack. I don't need a babysitter," she snapped.

"I put those rules down so no one gets hurt and everyone gets to go home," Jack snapped back.

Rae laughed without humor and set her rig down on the rest of her gear. "Oh yeah and that worked out so well for me before didn't it?"

Jack shook his head. "You got something to say, Rae, then just say it."

She shook her head. "It would be a waste of breath, Jack. I didn't work for me a year ago why in the hell would I think it would work for me now?"

He shook his head and turned to walk away. "I'm not getting in to this with you Rae."

She nodded. "I figured as much. Just tell me something, does that girl, Charlie, know about what happened in the Yucatan? Or is that still a great big secret?"

"Leave it alone, Rae. She's none of your concern."

"Someone needs to look out for her," Rae muttered, turning back to her gear.

Neither one of them realized that their conversation had been over heard by the one person who had been left in the dark.

TBC…


	7. The Truth

Chapter 7: The Truth

When Jack walked away to make sure that all the gear was being properly stored away.

Charlie leaned up against the stand with Strode and Top. "What happened in the Yucatan last year to Cassie?"

Strode looked over at Top and the dark skinned man sighed. "Charlie, it was a long time ago and I don't think-"

"That's fine," Charlie interrupted. "I'll just go ask Tyler."

"Okay, okay," Top said, defeated. "Rae had an accident while rock climbing last year. The man who was supposed to be on belay for her but he left her hanging to see what Jack had recovered while diving and something went wrong and she fell."

"She fractured her back in three places and was bed ridden for three months in the hospital," Strode picked up where Top left off. "We weren't sure if she'd ever be able to walk again, let alone climb but she surprised everyone."

Charlie listened and shook her head. "But why is she so mad at Jack?"

Top sighed heavily. "Because despite the major screw up Jack barely reprimanded the person guilty of the crime so to speak and let him stay on the team. Rae was angry and betrayed. She trusted Jack with her life and trusted him to keep her safe but he let her down."

"Just like every other man in her life," Strode muttered, studying the computer screen. "That's when she made the choice to leave rather than deal with Jack."

"And whose the guy that left her hanging up there? It wasn't Tyler was it?" Charlie asked. She knew that Tyler was arrogant at times but surely he wouldn't be reckless with someone else's safety.

Top shook his head. "Hell no, Tyler loves Rae like a sister. He would never to anything to hurt her on purpose or accidentally."

"Then who was it?"

Strode sighed. "Briggs was supposed to be on belay. He was relatively new to the team but he should still have known better he had been rock climbing before but he screwed up. Jack only fueled the fire by not doing anything to Briggs."

Charlie's eyes widen at the realization, that's why Rae hated Briggs so much and Briggs made the comment to her before they came down here about her back and not hurting it again. He knew damn good and well what happened and what he did to her.

"That's why she hates Briggs."

The two men nodded.

"And that's why she goes against Jack's authority."

Top and Strode laughed. "No, she's always challenged Jack's authority, that's nothing new," Top said.

"Before she'd do it to play with him but now it's because the trust is gone," Strode added.

Charlie nodded and looked over to where Rae stood talking to Greer and Tyler. "I just don't get it."

"What?" Top asked.

"She's the best rock climber in the world. She had her pick of crack teams," she looked over at them. "Why did she choose to go a salvage team instead?"

"Because she's the best," Strode said.

Charlie looked confused so Top clarified. "Mac always said that she would only work with the best and second, even a close one, wouldn't due."

"Murphy's her uncle and he nursed her back to health because she refused to let Jack help her. He wanted to help her and put things right but it was after the shit hit the fan. Rae wanted nothing more to do with him," Strode explained.

"She gave him an ultimatum," Charlie stated.

Top shook his head. "No, Rae doesn't do ultimatums. She never has. She made his choice for him. She left because she knew that Jack would never get rid of Briggs."

"He would have never, ever told Rae to leave. Jack loved Rae, he still does love her and misses her a lot," Strode added.

"You're great and he cares about you," Top put in. "But he had a special connection with Mac that I barely understand."

Charlie nodded. "I'm a sister and he loves me as such but I'm not Rae."

TBC…

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews. I'll try to up date more often but school sometimes gets in the way. I hope you've enjoyed these new chapters! I'll update again very soon!**


	8. Brigg's Arrogence

Chapter 8: Briggs' Arrogance

Rae was leaning up against the wall farthest away from everyone else with her eyes closed. She didn't wish to be part of the team again and they didn't want her to be a part of the team again she was sure of that.

Charlie walked up to her. "I'm gonna ask you a question and I want an honest answer."

The red head opened her eyes and brought her head down to look at the blonde. Her green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Okay shoot."

"What happened to you in the Yucatan?"

Rae chuckled lowly and shook her head. She looked over at Top and Strode. "Didn't they," she nodded to the two men. "Tell you what happened?"

"They told me about Briggs' big screw up," Charlie nodded. "But not what caused you to fall."

The more experienced climber sighed. "Does it really matter at this late stage in the game? The damage was done, a long time ago."

"It matters to me," Charlie insisted.

Rae laughed hardily. "You want to know if I did something wrong to make myself fall. That I made some kind of mistake."

"No, that's not it. I'm not sticking up for Briggs."

Rae shook her head and pulled the bandana along with her scrunchy out of her hair, letting it fall down around her shoulders. She ran her fingers through her curls. "The truth is I did screw up. I wasn't watching the grip with my right hand. The rocks were slick with moisture and, I don't know, my hand slipped. I started falling, but the strange thing is I didn't panic." She exhaled loudly. "I didn't panic because I thought that someone was on the rope below me and would stop me before I got too far. That was my second mistake."

"What was your first?"

Rae smirked softly. "Not lookin' out for myself 'cause no one else was going to do it for me. I knew better. I used to think I could count on Jack above anyone else."

"I'm sure that Jack never wanted to hurt you," Charlie replied honestly. She never knew Jack to be anything but loving, granted he was a little rough around the edges but he had a good heart and cared about each and everyone of them. Charlie was sure that Rae was no different. "Or want you to get hurt."

Rae scoffed softly and scratched her scalp. "I'm sure that's true Charlie and I don't blame Jack for my fall."

"But you blame him for not doing anything to Briggs afterwards," Charlie concluded.

Rae smiled softly. "He could have done more, you're right. But I've moved on. It's better in the long run, for everyone."

Charlie was surprised by Rae's none aggressive tone when she talked about Jack. She wasn't really mad at Jack but he did hurt her, betrayed her, just like Strode and Top said.

"You never gave Jack the chance at least try to make it work did you?" Charlie asked carefully.

"I did but he didn't blame me but he didn't stick up for me either. He wanted me to come back. I know he did but I couldn't do it, the damage had been done and there was no turning back. Jack mistakes my hurt for anger and that's why I decided that if he wanted me to be angry then angry is what I would be." Rae pulled her hair back into a messy bun before replacing her red bandana around it.

"You hate Briggs. I know you do," Charlie said.

Rae laughed and it was a beautiful sound, Charlie had never heard that laugh before. "It's that obvious huh?"

Charlie laughed too. "Yeah kind of. You don't exactly go around making a secret of it."

"Good, I'm glad he knows it too and I make sure that Jack doesn't forget it either."

"Yo Cass, come check this out. I found something that you might wanna see," Greer called from the other side of the water.

Both girls looked over. "Okay I'll be right over." She turned to Charlie. "Excuse while I go see what Greer's found that's so overly fascinating that it can't possibly wait."

Charlie nodded as Rae headed towards her partner.

As she past by she patted Tyler's shoulder, who was standing near the water while Top was helping get Briggs ready to dive. "All alright over here?" Tyler asked as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"I don't see how it could be any better, Ty," came Briggs' smug reply.

Then Briggs gave her a smug smile. She glared at him and continued walking. "Arrogant bastard," she muttered.

Greer looked up at her as she reached him.

She looked over her shoulder as Jack helped Briggs with his helmet. "He is such an arrogant, self-serving son of a bitch," she growled.

Greer sighed and shook his head before holding up a glass jar with a large spider in it.

"Neat!" Rae exclaimed, taking it from him to get a closer look. She smiled as she studied it. "It's a tarantula isn't it? I've never seen one this big living in a cave before."

Her partner grinned and she looked at him with a quizzical look. "What?"

Greer shook his head. "It's nothing, it's just nice to see you smiling again, that's all."

Rae beamed back at him. "It's going to be a great day."

Her partner quirked up an eyebrow at her. "Are you feeling alright Cass?"

"Yeah, I'm fine and if we can get through the next twelve days without me killing Briggs it will be even better," she replied.

Greer sighed. "Just ignore him, Rae, I'm here and as long as I'm around you're not gonna be in any danger, I promise."

Jack was standing a few feet away behind one of the natural rock pillars. He didn't mean to eavesdrop but he couldn't help it once he heard, rather than saw Rae's smile, before Greer even said anything.

Greer's last statement really drove it home that Rae didn't really trust him to keep her safe. It hurt him a lot more than he thought it would.

"I know I'm not going to be in any danger because Briggs is not and I repeat is not going to help me climb up anything. I wouldn't trust him to take care of my hamster," Rae replied. "He blew that a long time ago."

"I don't think Top or Jack would let anything happen to ya either," Greer pointed out.

"Maybe so," Rae sighed. "I trust Jack, I've never completely lost my trust in him. He's a good man with a good heart and he tries to do what's right a lot of the time. I just don't trust Jack's judgment when it comes down to Briggs."

"You're a bigger person than I, Cass," Greer stated, tossing a handful of pebbles into the water. "I would have never forgiven someone who I loved and trusted betrayed me the way Jack betrayed you."

"I'm sure Jack had his reasons for doing what he did," Rae replied. "It doesn't mean I agree with it but I know that he had a reason."

"Did you ever find out what Briggs' excuse was for leavin' you hangin' up there?" Greer asked.

"Nah," Rae stated. "It doesn't matter really because no excuse he could ever give me would be good enough. No amount of apologizing would ever make up for it either."

"Whatever his excuse was must have been good enough for Jack, huh?"

"Yeah," she murmured.

Jack shook his head in dismay. Contrary to what Rae believed he'd never forgiven Briggs for what he did that day. He almost got Rae killed that's why Top handled Charlie's belay when she was climbing.

Briggs was a good man at heart and he always had the best intentions; he made a very grave mistake but he couldn't make Rae forgive Briggs as much as he wanted his family back but he knew that Rae wouldn't have it unless Briggs was gone. But that wasn't about to happen.

He missed Rae that's what everyone knew was true; he may not show it on the outside but showing emotion had never been one of his strong suits.

"So Jack made Briggs first scout," Greer stated.

"Yeah, why is beyond me but, again, Jack always has a reason," Rae replied. "Briggs is an arrogant son of a bitch and it's only a matter of time before he gets someone killed, maybe even himself, mark my words."

TBC...

**AN: Sorry, I found this little guy hidden on my desk top under another name. **


	9. Accidents Happen

Chapter 9: Accidents Happen

Greer and Rae were swimming a few feet a head of Tyler and Strode. When they heard Strode yelling and screaming over their radios.

"Strodey!" Rae yelled, turning around and swimming back in the direction that Tyler and Strode were last seen before Greer could stop her. "Tyler!"

"Cassie wait!"

"Strodey! Tyler!"

Then there was a rumble and the whole ground shook. A shock wave knocked Tyler into Greer and they both flew backwards towards where the open water and advance base camp.

"Tyler! Strode! Rae! Greer!" the dark skinned man heard Jack yell and someone pulled at him from behind trying to get him to his feet.

Greer struggled and got away from whoever had him. "Greer! Greer, where's Rae? Huh?" Top demanded. "Where is she?"

"Goddamn it, Cass!" Greer yelled, putting his mouth piece back in and diving back under the water before anyone could stop him.

The water was murky with the dust and debris from the tunnel explosion; it was hard for him to see, his flashlight was next to useless. She he had to rely on his ears and his sense of touch.

"Cassie, got a copy?" Greer asked into the radio in his mouth piece as he felt his way through the water. "Cass, you got a copy? Are you safe?"

She didn't answer his call and he started to panic until he heard coughing over his ear piece. Then someone brushed up against his arm.

"I'm on your starboard, Greer. Your starboard," came Rae's raspy replied.

Greer quickly got her by her underarms and started dragging her to safety.

"Is that, Rae, Greer?" Jack asked over the radio.

"Roger that," Greer replied. "I'm gonna get her up to the surface and check her out."

"Copy that," Jack said. "Top and I are gonna see what the hell just happened."

Greer continued pulling Rae up to the surface. When they broke through the top Tyler and Dr. Nicolai were waiting to help him with her.

Tyler took her by the biceps and pulled her up on dry land while Greer heaved himself up.

The dark skinned man quickly made his way over to Rae.

"Is she alright?" Charlie cried out.

Rae ripped her off her mask and yanked her mouth piece out of her mouth. "I'm fine. I'm fine." She turned to look at Tyler. "Are you alright, Ty?"

The younger McAlister nodded. "I'm fine, not a scratch."

Rae suddenly gasped in pain when Greer touched her arm. She looked down and saw a large gash going down it that was oozing blood. "Damn. Wish I could say the same."

"Here, let's take a look," Greer said, helping her pull off the top of her wet suit.

"Someone get me the medical kit," Greer called.

"I got it," Charlie got up and went to retrieve it.

"What the hell happened down there, Rae?" Briggs demanded.

Charlie arrived back with the kit in her hand and she handed it to Greer. "Thanks, Charlie."

She nodded and sat down on a near by rock to watch.

"I don't know what the fuck happened," Rae said, wincing as Greer cleaned to wound. "Strodey was screaming like something had him then the whole world went topsy turvy."

She looked at Greer. "How deep is it?"

"Not very deep but I'm gonna cover it anyway. I don't want it to get infected," he replied, applying a fresh bandaged to her arm.

"Son of a bitch!" Rae snapped, throwing her goggles to the side. She combed her fingers through her wet curls.

"Where the fuck is Strode? Do you know?" Briggs demanded, grabbing Rae by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

She glared at him and shoved him away from her. She didn't know where Strode was but she knew that he wasn't coming back.

Rae knew that Strode had to be dead.

"I don't fuckin' know Briggs, alright? I couldn't get to him the tunnel collapsed before I could," she snapped angrily. Then she gasped and clutched the left side of her ribcage.

Greer was instantly on alert and lifted up the edge of her blue tank top. Her ribcage was badly bruised.

He touched it gingerly and she hissed in pain.

"Are they broken?" Tyler asked, shining his flashlight onto the discolored skin.

Greer shook his head. "Nah, but they are badly fractured at the least. Do you want me to wrap them?"

Rae shook her head. "No, I think I'll be alright." Then she tried to lift her left arm above her head and she gasped, dropping it back to her side. "On second thought, yeah, it wouldn't be a half bad idea."

Greer nodded and turned back to the medical kit while everyone else kept themselves busy by setting up the equipment.

"You know that Strode maybe dead don't you?" Greer asked quietly as he started to wrap her ribs.

She winced. "I know."

Two sets over bubbles broke the surface of the water. "Ahh, look there they are," Rae murmured. "And Strodey isn't with them."

Top and Jack climbed back up the embankment.

Jack's clear blue eyes studied her. "Are you alright?"

Rae nodded. "Yeah, couple of fractured ribs and a cut on my arm. Nothing that won't heal if given a little time."

"You want me to take a look at it?" Top asked.

"Nah, Greer's got it but thanks anyway Top."

He nodded as he and Jack walked away to get changed out of their wet suits.

Rae did the same before she walked over to where Jack was standing near the edge of the water, by himself, just staring.

She stopped beside him, clasping her hands behind her back, she too stared out over the now still water.

She took a deep breath. "Jack?"

He looked over at her.

"What happened to Strodey wasn't Ty's fault," she said, not taking her eyes off the water. "It wasn't yours either."

Rae took a deep breath. "These kind of things happened."

"What happened down there, Rae and tell me the truth," Jack said and she looked up at him.

"I don't know, Jack," she replied. "I heard him yelling for help and it sounded like he was being attacked. But before I could reach him there was some kind of explosion and the tunnel started to collapse. The pressure pushed me away from him."

Jack nodded. "You said it sounded like he was being attacked. What the hell could of attacked him?"

"I don't know, Jack," she replied. "As much as I hate to say it, he could have been hallucinating, you know as well as I do what happens when you screw up your mix. He panics and wrecks his scooter, it happens Jack. Even to the most experienced divers."

"Do you think that's what happen, Rae?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know Jack but what I do know is that something isn't right. I can feel it in my bones. Something is very, very, wrong with this cave."

TBC…

**AN: Well I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! I'm open for suggestions R&R**


	10. You'll Need Me

Chapter 10: You'll Need Me

Rea walked over to where Top and Jack were getting ready to go scout out an exit.

"I'm going with you guys."

They both looked up at her and Jack shook his head. "No, you stay here with the others."

"Jack, you're gonna need me," Rae stated, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm going."

"Rae, I really don't have time for this," Jack said, exasperated.

"Then just let me go with you." She rubbed her forehead. "Look, I know I'm no longer a member of this team but you both know that I'm still the best rock climber in the world. You may need me and I'll go crazy if I stay here with nothing to do."

"She's got a point, Jack," Top pointed out.

Jack sighed. "Alright, fine, but you stick close to us and don't go wondering off by yourself. Got it?"

Rae nodded and turned to go get her gear. "Got it."

Greer met her half way to where her gear was. "You goin' with them?"

She nodded, grabbing her climbing gear. "Yeah, I'll be alright. I can't just sit round here and do nothing."

"Be careful, Cassie."

"Always."

Then she ran to catch up with Jack and Top.

Greer turned back and walked over to the others.

Charlie watched Rae leave with Top and Jack then she turned to Greer. "She's goin' with them?"

The dark skinned man nodded. "Yeah she is."

"This place is really fuckin' creepy," Rae stated, shinning her flashlight around. "Remind me to volunteer us for a job in a less hostile country next time."

Top chuckled. "Will do, Rae."

Jack sighed heavily and Rae looked over at him. "Sorry Jack."

"We've never lost anyone before guys," Jack stated.

"I don't know something isn't right, Mac," Top agreed.

"No shit bud," Jack said.

Rae shined her flashlight up towards the ceiling. "I'm sorry I got you guys into this."

Both men stopped dead at her statement and turned around to look at her.

"This isn't your fault, Rae," Jack said, frowning at her.

"Yeah, we all knew what we were getting ourselves into," Top put in.

"I got a feelin' that we're in for way more than what we bargained for," she said, shinning her flashlight around the dark, damp cavern. "And if I'm right, we're doubling what we charged them."

Top and Jack were talking about possible exits while Rae was walking a little bit behind them, looking around.

She shined her light into a dark corner when something reflexes off of something that shined in the dark and she froze when she realized they were a pair of eyes.

Rae gulped softly and started to back up slowly. Then it charged at her.

Jack and Top arrived at two separate tunnels. "Door one or door two?" Jack asked his friend.

Top shrugged. "I don't know. What do you think Rae?"

The young woman didn't answer the two men turned around to find her gone. "Rae?"

"Oh fuck, where'd she run off to now?" Top said, shinning his light around. "Yo, Rae?"

"Goddamn it, I'm going to kick her ass," Jack growled. "I told her not to wonder off!"

Jack started off towards in the direction they just came from with Top right behind him when they heard a loud female scream.

"Rae!" they yelled at the same time and started running. "Rae! Rae!"

It was dark and quiet now.

"Rae!" Jack yelled, then he tripped over someone that was laying in the path and landed flat on his stomach.

The lump yelped in surprise.

Top stopped dead and crouched down beside her. "Rae? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Rae sat up and shook her head. "I'm alright but I don't think it is." She pointed directly in front of her. "Whatever it is."

Jack sat up and shined his light in the direction she was pointing. There was a creature unlike any thing he had ever seen before in his life. The only way he could describe it was demonic.

"What the fuck is that thing?" Top asked, shining his light where they other two had theirs.

"How the fuck should I know?" Rae demanded, her voice on the edge of hysterics. "It just came outta fuckin' nowhere."

Jack got up and slowly approached it, upon further examination he discovered the blade of Rae's boney knife sticking out of the demon's head. "I think it's dead. Her knife is right between it's eyes."

He straightened up and turned to the other two. He walked up and pulled Rae effortlessly to her feet before checking her for injuries. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

Rae nodded. "No it didn't bite me or anything like that. Thank god."

Before Jack could stop himself he pulled Rae up against his chest, squeezing her tight. "See what I mean about how wondering off could be dangerous."

She nodded against his chest. "Never again."

Rae pulled away from Jack's chest. "I am so ready to go home. I've had just about enough of Romania."


End file.
